Remembering Kelly Howard: Navigating Loss, Honoring Life

In loving memory of my dear mom, Kelly Howard, who bravely battled breast cancer and Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) before unexpectedly facing Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Her journey was a whirlwind of hope and heartache, from surgeries to numerous treatments at Mayo Clinic, where we clung to optimism amidst the storm.

Kelly's resilience shone bright even as her health declined rapidly. Her sudden passing left us shattered, her laughter and loving spirit now dearly missed. As we navigate the aftermath and honor her life, we're faced with the daunting task of handling her end-of-life affairs.

Your support during this time means the world to us. Every donation helps ease the financial burdens and allows us to focus on cherishing Kelly's memory and piecing our lives back together. Thank you for being a part of our journey, honoring a life that touched so many hearts.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Casey Fisk and family

More Details:

Although she had been struggling with cancer a few years, we did not anticipate her passing so quickly. At the end of 2021, Kelly began her battle against breast cancer. She underwent surgery and radiation and was considered in remission after that. Just a few short months later, she was diagnosed with a form of bone marrow cancer called Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) after noticing her blood counts were off. She fought it hard and we spent a lot of time going back and forth to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Her blood counts were staying very low and she started to have a need for blood and platelet transfusions. Then on March 12th, 2024, we were told that her MDS had progressed to Acute Myeloid Leukemia and that if we didn't intervene and get to Mayo in Jax the next day and begin treatment, that she would likely only have two weeks to live. This caught us COMPLETELY off guard. We were literally at the beach together when we got the news that day. We knew she had the MDS but we were told that since she was "low risk" that she could live many many years with it and so this was a huge shock to us. So we threw everything together and went to Mayo Clinic that next day. Since my mom, Kelly, was only 58 years old and in relatively good health otherwise, they told us she should respond really well to the treatment, so even in the hospital we remained totally optimistic. Then it all hit so suddenly. Her lungs got severely damaged by the intense chemo and her breathing started rapidly declining. Before we knew it she was on a ventilator and then made her journey to Heaven that next week. From the time she was told she had AML to the time she passed, was only 36 short days. We are still in shock, but we know that God had a plan for her and that she in now in paradise forevermore. Her smile, laughter and fun loving personality is greatly missed and we are left with a big void in our hearts, but her new found Peace is giving us Peace and we will continue to hold on to that until we see her again in Heaven.